At Partlow, we employ a professional staff of Application Engineers whose full time responsibility is to help you select the proper controller-recorder, install it correctly and get it up and running to your satisfaction. These friendly and knowledgeable people are available during business days from 8:00 am to 4:45 pm Central Standard Time (CST).

Before You Call

Misunderstanding manual instructions or omitting installation steps is the most common source of error. For complete trouble-shooting guidelines on Partlow installation, mounting and wiring, refer to your specific controller-recorder specification/technical data sheet or manual first.

General Controller/Recorder Installation and Troubleshooting Guidelines

Things to avoid while (panel) mounting your controller:

• Ensure the inside of the panel is with the instruments operating temperature and that there is adequate air flow to prevent overheating
• Do not remove the panel gasket, as this may result in inadequate clamping and sealing of the instrument to the panel .
• The mounting panel must be rigid and may be up to 6.0mm (0.25 inches) thick. 

Things to avoid in preparing to Install or Remove Controller Options Modules:

• Before removing the instrument from its housing, ensure that all power has been removed from the rear terminals.
• Take care not to put undue stress on the ribbon cable attaching the display and CPU boards
• Check for correct orientation of the modules and that all pins locate correctly into the socket.

Controller installation considerations to reduce electrical noise:

Ignition transformers, arc welders, mechanical contact relays and solenoids are all common sources of electrical noise in an industrial environment whereby the following guidelines MUST be followed.

• If your Partlow instrument is being installed in existing equipment, the wiring in the area should be checked to ensure that good wiring practices have been followed.
• Noise-generating devices such as those listed should be mounted in a separate enclosure. If this is not possible, separate them from the instrument, by the largest distance possible.
• If possible, eliminate mechanical contact relays and replace with solid-state relays. If a mechanical relay being powered by an output of this instrument cannot be replaced, a solid-state relay can be used to isolate the instrument.
• A separate isolation transformer to feed only the instrumentation should be considered.
• The transformer can isolate the instrument from noise found on the AC power input.

AC Power Wiring - Neutral (for 100 to 240V AC versions)

• It is good practice to ensure that the AC neutral is at or near ground (earth) potential. A proper neutral will help ensure maximum performance from the instrument.

Wire Isolation

Four voltage levels of input and output wiring may typically be used with most Partlow units:

1. Analog input or output (for example thermocouple, RTD, VDC, mVDC or mADC)
2. Relays & Triac outputs
3. SSR Driver outputs
4. AC power

Connections and Wiring

• In general, all wiring connections are made to the instrument after it is installed. Copper wires must be used for all connections (except thermocouple signal wires).
• To avoid electrical shock, AC power wiring must not be connected to the source distribution panel until all wiring procedures are completed.
• Warning: Check the information label on the product housing/case to determine the correct voltage before connecting to a live supply.

Powering Up

• ALWAYS ENSURE THAT SAFE WIRING PRACTICES ARE FOLLOWED
  The instrument must be powered from a supply according to the wiring label on the side of your Partlow unit. The power supply will be either 100 to 240V AC, or 24/48V AC/DC powered.  Carefully check the supply voltage and connections before applying power.
• When powering up for the first time, disconnect the output connections.

Be Prepared

To potentially avoid the time and expense of a long-distance phone call, please make certain you have with you the Partlow controller-recorder serial number, model number, mount interface, type of communications interface, and a detailed description of the problem ready. Only with ALL of this information can our Application Engineers give you fast and accurate assistance.

To help you gather all the facts, feel free to use one of our Application Assistance Forms (Controllers or Recorders ) as a guideline and email it in or call us directly at + 1.800.866.6659.